


A Certain Glance of Light

by ABookAndACoffee



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Autumn, F/M, Festivals, Fluff, Food, or I didn't do my job, you will get hungry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 01:39:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15898302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABookAndACoffee/pseuds/ABookAndACoffee
Summary: Rowan and Aelin go to a fall festival together. Purely self-indulgent fluff.





	A Certain Glance of Light

Leaves crunching underfoot was not a sound Aelin would have allowed herself to make, before. 

Being an assassin and a warrior meant stealth. It meant not being noticed, or at least not for the wrong reasons. A misplaced step, a breath taken at the wrong moment, the unintentional clink of metal - Aelin was trained from a very young age to control every aspect of her being, because any false move could be her last.

Existing openly in the world was meant for people whose lives, and crowns, and kingdoms were not under constant siege. It wasn’t exactly the sort of life Aelin could ever imagine experiencing, whether she remained on the run or finally found herself standing before her court.

But this afternoon… Aelin looked down at the ground, reached out with the toe of her boot, and grinned as the brown and orange leaves crinkled beneath the hard sole. If she weren’t supposed to behave more queenly and dignified, she might have started jumping around in them right then.

She felt a nudge on her arm, and looked up at Rowan. He handed her a caramel apple, careful to make sure she grabbed the stick. “Shall we find a seat?” he asked.

Aelin threaded her arm through his and led them to a group of tables that had been set up on the outskirts of the fair, stepping on as many leaves as she could in the process. 

Evangeline and Lysandra followed close behind, joining them at the table. Evangeline sat on the balls of her feet on the bench, bouncing. It was apparent that she had far more energy than the adults she was with, and Aelin wondered at how much sugar she’d already eaten.

Aelin could hardly blame the girl. An autumn fair like this used to be fairly routine, but she wondered if Evangeline had ever seen anything like it. It wasn’t likely. Their lives had been put on hold for so long, the girl probably thought that celebrations like these were a novelty. And let her, Aelin thought. If she could find this much joy in one afternoon, in something as simple as these confections, then they would all shower her with every single experience they could.

Aelin unwrapped her thick wool scarf and rested it on the bench beside her as Rowan spoke. 

“So,” he said, holding up his apple, “What does one do with these things?” 

Evangeline laughed loudly. “I thought everyone knew that!” She bounced harder on her heels, practically vaulting herself so she was sitting on the wooden tabletop. 

“Have you never eaten a caramel apple?” Aelin frowned slightly. She set hers down on the crinkly brown paper it was wrapped in, watching Rowan. 

“No, why?” Rowan turned his head in different directions, as if changing his angle of approach towards a round object would make him less likely to get the sticky candy all over his face.

Lysandra gently patted Evangeline’s arm, trying to get her to sit properly on the bench, but she was far too entertained by Rowan and Aelin.

“You need to cut it. Like in slices. Here,” Aelin said, grabbing his arm, “Put it down.” She pulled a short dagger from her boot and set the apple on the table.

“Did you just pull that from your shoe?” Rowan asked. “And you’re going to cut my food with it?”

“Well I’m not going to use one of my good ones,” Aelin replied. “Besides, even if Evie would love to see you make a mess of yourself, I’m not cuddling with someone covered in caramel.” 

Rowan huffed but pushed his apple towards her. Aelin cut the apple into slices, offering one to Evangeline before returning the rest of it to Rowan. 

Evangeline held her apple slice as if it were too precious to eat, though her eyes were doing a fair amount of devouring. “Can I share this?” she asked.

“Of course,” Aelin answered. “Just… be careful.” Her voice trailed off as Evangeline skipped away, finding Aedion and tugging on his tunic to get his attention. 

With Evangeline gone, the table became quiet, but not silent. They all crunched their apple slices, made little hums of contentment. Lysandra wrapped her heavy green cardigan tighter around herself, and Aelin rested her head on Rowan’s shoulder, pulling him closer for warmth. The wind brushed through the trees, sending light and leaves scattering around them. The lilting sound of music made its way to their table. 

Aelin spent a fair amount of time outdoors, and yet somehow, she could breath deeper, easier, on days like this. The crisp air filled her lungs to the brim, and she wondered if she might not convince Rowan to dance with her, later.

Sitting up, she looked at Rowan, the light dappling his face. 

“What is it?” he asked, without turning his head. 

“I’m hungry,” Aelin said, grinning.

He merely nodded. “What would you like, princess?”

Aelin looked to the row of food vendors where they had purchased their apples. Along with sound and light, the wind brought competing scents. Cinnamon, sugar, crackling meat, cakes, pumpkin, apples, roasted vegetables - if Aelin could have bottled it, she would have.

“I’m not sure.” Aelin sipped her pumpkin-flavored tea. “Everything.” She grinned, eying a booth in the end with its orange and yellow leaf garland, the smell of pastry and spice pulling her in.

Aelin held out her tea. “Yeah, here. Hold this for me?” She leaned in to give Rowan a quick peck on the cheek but he backed away. 

“No, it’s my treat,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Aelin squinted, trying to read the menu. “Do you know what I’ll want?”

Rowan stood. “I’m sure I can figure it out.” 

Lysandra and Aelin enjoyed companionable silence while he was gone, which was broken when Lysandra began to laugh, clutching her stomach. 

Aelin turned to see what Lysandra found so amusing, and stood when she saw Rowan. Even his fae warrior balance was tested when up against the amount of food that he had bought for her. A paper bag hung from one arm, both hands were clutching additional bags, and a large cardboard box was balanced in his forearms. 

Aelin grabbed the box first. “Did you take me seriously?” 

Rowan set the other bags on the table carefully. “Was I not supposed to?” 

She opened the box first, and her face lit up. Inside was a cake, chocolate from what she could tell, covered in swirls and flowers made of hazelnut frosting. In a bag she found pumpkin doughnuts, in another brightly-colored handmade candies, and in the final bag roasted chestnuts. 

“Thank you!” Aelin threw herself at Rowan, but didn’t wait for him to return the hug before she pulled away. She sat down, arranging the goodies in front of her while Lysandra grinned. 

Rowan cleared his throat. 

Aelin pulled the cake from its box and pulled out a fork.

“Aelin?” Rowan sat next to her.

“Yes?”

“That isn’t all for you.”

She turned to him, slowly. “What?”

Rowan glanced at Lysandra. 

“Of course, Lys, you’re free to have some if you’d like,” Aelin said. 

Lysandra smiled, but made no move to take anything. Aelin dug into the cake, a forkful of moist chocolate cake and ganache heading towards her mouth.

Rowan cleared his throat again.

“Yes, my love?” Aelin asked, her voice becoming thin. She set her fork on the table, frowning at the bite that waited for her.

“Aren’t you going to offer any to me?”

Aelin blinked. “But you already had that caramel apple. You don’t want this stuff.” She gestured to the table. “You like meat. Plain meat. Sticks. Remember meat sticks? The reason you didn’t understand what to do with that caramel apple?”

“Yes, but I’m expanding my horizons. I remember someone raving about chocolate cake, once.”

Aelin considered. If she had to give up some of the cake, she would get something in return. “Ok, let’s make a deal.” 

“A deal? You remember that I bought all of this food, right?” Rowan leaned back and crossed his arms. He and Lysandra exchanged an amused glance, which of course Aelin noticed, and of course made her more resolved to get what she wanted.

“Yes, yes,” Aelin said, brushing away the reminder. “I’ll give you some cake. But only if you dance with me when we’re done.”

“Hmmm…” Rowan made his fingers into a steeple and rested his chin on them in mock contemplation. “Dance with my beautiful wife, on this lovely afternoon, and just so I can get some cake?” He sighed. “I supposed I’ll accept that.”

Aelin rolled her eyes and leaned forward, brushing a quick kiss on Rowan’s cheek. “Eat your damn cake.”


End file.
